I'm in need of buying heads soon, i play anything from classic rock to modern metal, and am stuck debating which brand to buy. My schools drumline(which im apart of) uses evans, but i also know from experiance that Remo ebony heads sound great too. But im not sure which would be best for my set. Any Opinions?

The only real differences I've seen noted seem to be subjective ones. Some guys think Remo are more durable and others will say the Evan's coating lasts longer etc. I tend to stick with Remo, but have used Evans a few times. IMHO I see very little difference between the two brands. Certainly not enough to call one better than the other. To my ear Evans seem to have a little more 'plastic' sound to them.....but I'm willing to accept that this is not the case, moreso I just prefer Remo as I've been using them for years.

All in all, both are quality heads and either brand will see you right. You will notice far more differences between the range of heads from either brand (i.e the diff between Emperors compared to Ambassadors or G2's compared to G1's), than you will by comparing Evans and Remo in their own right.

The only real differences I've seen noted seem to be subjective ones. Some guys think Remo are more durable and others will say the Evan's coating lasts longer etc. I tend to stick with Remo, but have used Evans a few times. IMHO I see very little difference between the two brands. Certainly not enough to call one better than the other. To my ear Evans seem to have a little more 'plastic' sound to them.....but I'm willing to accept that this is not the case, moreso I just prefer Remo as I've been using them for years.

All in all, both are quality heads and either brand will see you right. You will notice far more differences between the range of heads from either brand (i.e the diff between Emperors compared to Ambassadors or G2's compared to G1's), than you will by comparing Evans and Remo in their own right.

Cheers.

I've only heard the Remo ebonys a few times, im not sure which they were (Emperors or Ambassadors) and I've heard nothing but good reviews about them. I hear Evans on a much more often bassis, so That could be why I'm leaning more towards Evans, but i'm still stuck, do you think that guitar center or forks would have any on display i could hit a few times?

do you think that guitar center or forks would have any on display i could hit a few times?

My location means I've never even been to Guitar Centre (we don't have them in Oz)....let alone shopped at one mate, so I have no idea. All you can do is ask, they may be happy to put an ebony head on a drum for you to try.

What drums are you playing? Through trial and error, I've found that on some of my kits I prefer Remo and on others I prefer Evans. If you let us know what drums you are playing you may get more pointed replies.

FWIW I've used Amb Ebony heads as batters and resonant heads. They seemed to have a little more focus than the clears and they liked lower tension. They sounded fine, but I found clear Ambs to be more versatile.

What drums are you playing? Through trial and error, I've found that on some of my kits I prefer Remo and on others I prefer Evans. If you let us know what drums you are playing you may get more pointed replies.

FWIW I've used Amb Ebony heads as batters and resonant heads. They seemed to have a little more focus than the clears and they liked lower tension. They sounded fine, but I found clear Ambs to be more versatile.

What sound are you looking for? Do you play out? Do you record?

Im playing on a D2 five peice kit, i kinda do both play out and record. Im in a band(still looking for other requiered players, ie bassist) and i record some tracks for my dad, but usualy i just play for the heck of it. honestly im looking for something with great attack, and just enough resonance for the sound of the drum to come out. i was thinking about getting Evans. but as ive stated before, ive heard some great remos as well.http://www.zzounds.com/item--EVABK <----thes are the Evans im thinking about

Both companies make good heads. Like was mentioned earlier I think the evans have a bit more a plastic attack compared to the remos and the evans seem to have a little darker/lower tone than remo. Remo seems to be brighter..

As for the ebony thing they are o.k., I'd stick to clears myself they just sound a little better.

As for GC letting you try them out, very doubtful. Never seen an ebony head on a kit at a GC. Usually ambassadors, emperor, G1, G2, EC2 or Gplus and most always clear

You must be in or close to Nashville then if your going to Fork's. Best place to buy anything drum related....period! Ask for Danny when ya go in there. But anyways...I might be wrong but I think the Evans heads your looking at are exactly like clears but black in color. I've used them both and I will always lean towards Evans on things.

You must be in or close to Nashville then if your going to Fork's. Best place to buy anything drum related....period! Ask for Danny when ya go in there. But anyways...I might be wrong but I think the Evans heads your looking at are exactly like clears but black in color. I've used them both and I will always lean towards Evans on things.

Im in Knoxville, so its relitively close, but i agree, Forks is amazing! And the people there are willing to help you with anything you need

I really like them both. The only reason I switched to Evans after playing Remo for 46 years was because of premature coating erosion on my snare's batter head with Remo. I've been totally Evans for about the last three years and only had one complain in that time period. Not saying that I'll Never go back to Remo, but for now I'm very satisfied with what Evans has to offer.

Those are the exact heads I use on my Tama Imperial Stars concert toms. I switched to Evans from Remo a few years ago only because of the sound these heads produce. They also stay in tune and require no gums or muffling to reduce the ring.

I use Remo ambassadors and emperors on my Ludwigs. This particular set has both batters and resonance heads and I'm not sure I'd use the Evans hydralics on this set. It seems to me, but I'm no expert, that the heads you're considering are great for concert toms, however, there may be better choices for double headed drums. It's all so subjective, ya know. Good luck on your choice.

Why not determine what type of head you want and then try getting one of each for just one tom, say, your 12"? Try them one after the other and see which sound you like. This will give you a pretty good idea of what a full kit of them will sound like without spending a fortune.

And the "Remo coating wears prematurely" is a meme that is not true for all. Below is a one year-old coated ambassador batter, played daily and gigged often, by an extremely hard hitter (my kid, who plays rock unmiked) using 747B oak sticks.

In 40 years of using coated Remo ambassadors, I have never once had premature coating wear. This tells me it's not the product, it's more likely the user.

Why not determine what type of head you want and then try getting one of each for just one tom, say, your 12"? Try them one after the other and see which sound you like. This will give you a pretty good idea of what a full kit of them will sound like without spending a fortune.

And the "Remo coating wears prematurely" is a meme that is not true for all. Below is a one year-old coated ambassador batter, played daily and gigged often, by an extremely hard hitter (my kid, who plays rock unmiked) using 747B oak sticks.

In 40 years of using coated Remo ambassadors, I have never once had premature coating wear. This tells me it's not the product, it's more likely the user.

thats a good idea, and id do it, if i had money to go out and buy them just to try em out, unfortunatly drumming is perhaps the most expensive instrument, and im not the richest guy

I would say there is no right answer. All three big manufacturers make good products or else they wouldn't be in business. Claiming one brand sounds better than another is subjective. I prefer the sound of Remo coating but for clear heads I like the sound of Evans heads better. To me, and for the way I hit, Evans seems to last longer. But every drummer is different and to claim Remo or Evans or Aquarain is better is silly. Depends on your ear and your drums.

thats a good idea, and id do it, if i had money to go out and buy them just to try em out, unfortunatly drumming is perhaps the most expensive instrument, and im not the richest guy

Well, to my mind it's cheaper to get two heads and try them out on one drum and decide which one you like, rather than blindly buying heads for your whole kit and then realizing they're not what you were looking for.

An internet forum is not a place where you will discover the truth about what various heads sound like; it's where you get a range of opinions from a bunch of (well-meaning) guys who are quick to recommend what they like but who have no idea what you will like. Use it to narrow down your choices, fine, but the only way to know is to try them yourself.

Well, to my mind it's cheaper to get two heads and try them out on one drum and decide which one you like, rather than blindly buying heads for your whole kit and then realizing they're not what you were looking for.

An internet forum is not a place where you will discover the truth about what various heads sound like; it's where you get a range of opinions from a bunch of (well-meaning) guys who are quick to recommend what they like but who have no idea what you will like. Use it to narrow down your choices, fine, but the only way to know is to try them yourself.

+1.

You were gonna spring for the cost of new heads anyway. Why not try this suggestion. Test drive two heads, when you decide which one you prefer, then buy the rest. You're only out of pocket the cost of one head and you can keep that as a spare.

I use Aquarian because the guy who started the company used to work for remo and wanted to make a head he thought would be superior to the heads he saw remo making, we all think we have a better idea than our company or boss and he followed up. It's a respect thing.